Syracuse slips to No. 4 after ACC Tournament loss

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Syracuse fell to the No. 4 ranking on the latest Inside Lacrosse Women and Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association rankings, its second straight week dropping in the polls. After suffering their first loss of the 2023 campaign to then-No. 5 ranked Boston College, the Orange fell to No. 3 seed North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Semifinals.

Syracuse matched up with No. 7 seed Virginia Tech to begin the postseason. In a back and forth game, SU weathered Blair Guy’s five goals to emerge with a 14-12 victory. Emma Ward and Sierra Cockerille both notched hat tricks while Meaghan Tyrrell’s five-point performance made her just the ninth Division-I player to record over 400 career points.

The Orange’s narrow escape against the Hokies set up their second meeting with the Tar Heels this season in just as many weeks. On April 15, Syracuse defeated UNC 14-12 in Chapel Hill. This time around, North Carolina jumped out to a dominant 8-0 lead, shutting SU out in the opening period for the first time this year. The Orange couldn’t get on the board until the 9:12 mark in the second, and Caroline Godine’s game-high six goals propelled the Tar Heels to an eventual 15-9 win.

Syracuse received 435 total votes in Week 12. It’s the first time since Week 1 that SU hasn’t earned any first-place votes. No. 1 Northwestern remained at the top of the rankings while Boston College jumped up to No. 2. On Sunday, the Eagles took down North Carolina to capture their first ever ACC Tournament title. To round out the rest of the top five, North Carolina moved up three spots to the No. 3 spot while undefeated Denver slipped to No. 5.

The NCAA tournament is scheduled to start on the weekend of May 12-14. If Syracuse remains at No. 4, after the tournament’s Selection Show on Sunday, it will host opponents during the opening two rounds.